It is a constant endeavor to find methods, structures and architectures which enable users to interact with applications and users on services other than their own. This has resulted in the present form of enhanced telephone services. These service provisions generally have evolved through piecemeal enhancements of the established and connection oriented telephony network. As such, the provisions observe traditional telephony standards which include seasoned, established procedures for end user identification and end user keying behaviors. The developing and continually growing cross-utilization of telephones and computers require new and creative means to allow users of disparate voice, data and multi-media services to interact with applications and users on services other than their own. These services include but are not limited to those which are voice oriented such as enhanced telephony services, those which are data oriented such as on-line information services, those which are image oriented such as video on-demand, and those which are coordinated and/or composite such as multi-media services. As an example, user accessible enhanced telephony services presently include voice mail and follow-me universal phone number services.
The emergent array of on-line services which are oriented to information distribution as well as communication between users, have adopted naming conventions and domains which have been heretofore generally associated with data processing. With the advent of broad usage of the Internet, and with advancements in technologies such as voice recognition and synthesis, the borders between the applications which are possible for these disparate services are rapidly weakening, dissipating and disappearing. Generally, the interaction between disparate services has been possible only through the adoption of a common denominator for naming, such as is used in the Internet naming standards. As multi-media technologies and on-line service proprietary protocols proliferate, the ability to interrelate service domains becomes key to expanding service possibilities.
This proliferation of available services has also lead to a growth in the number of identifiers employed by each single end user. Normally, an end user employs a separate `IDENTIFIER` appropriate to each device, service and/or access network to enable access to each particular offering. For example, a user of enhanced voice services is identified by a phone number. A user of an on-line service is identified by an on-line service IDENTIFIER in a particular address domain. Particular cross service accesses may not be available. If a particular cross service access is available, an array of IDENTIFIERs and passwords is often required prior to delivery of the service to satisfy the user's request.
Efficient means is required to enable a user to operate across multiple service domains using a single IDENTIFIER. In any specific user utilization the user ought to be able to employ a single appropriate IDENTIFIER, possibly being dependent upon the user's choice of access media. The means should associate and relate the IDENTIFIERs associated with each common user by maintaining an image of the IDENTIFIERs for each user for that user's applications which bridge the service and/or domain boundaries. In this way, once a user is identified with any of the associated user IDENTIFIERs, the means should allow the connection and/or routing to and from the disparate services. The means should automatically provide the appropriate IDENTIFIER or IDENTIFIERs to cross all the required service and/or domain boundaries to satisfy the user's request. In this way the means would maintain an image for each user for applications which bridge the service boundaries.
The present invention provides a method, apparatus, and architecture which satisfies the above requirements while providing other advantages. Thus among other things, an object of the present application is a solution that provides domain service interrelation and a common user image for the interrelation.
The following provides a definition of terms used in this application:
Domain: a place where addressing following a particular set of rules is understood. Example--telephone numbers, Internet addresses, America-On-Line; PA1 Interrelated domains: Domains which have the same rules and/or recognize each other's addresses; PA1 Connection Modality: Voice, Data, Image, Video etc.; PA1 Access media: means of effecting reception and/or transmission of a communication; PA1 Service: something provided for clients. Example--POTS, America-On-Line, Compuserve, WWW access, conferencing; PA1 Cross service: interaction between at least two services and/or two modalities. Example--Using a computer to change telephone speed dialing; PA1 Graphical user interface: user interface that is more than text and less than video. Examples--Lotus interface, web explorer interface, visual age; PA1 Service media transformation: voice to text, text to voice, etc.; PA1 On-line service: America-On-Line (AOL), Compuserve, Prodigy; PA1 Composite service: a multi-media service where individual media might be viable services themselves. Example--voice and data conferencing. Voice conferencing is viable, and so is data conferencing; PA1 Disparate services: different services--in customer client instruments (i.e. telephone and computer) and/or different application areas or services requiring different access modalities. like real-time versus asynchronous; PA1 Interactive service: requires relatively rapid response, such as end user keystrokes, to do something. Example--VM, AOL; PA1 Password: secret required to gain service; PA1 Service registration: a process whereby an end user is made known in all necessary detail to a service. May include billing, addressing, etc. information. May be real-time or not. May be via human operator or not; PA1 Service provisioning: process whereby end user gets what is needed to use the service. May be client code, etc.; PA1 Application: end user function provided as either a stand alone or in conjunction with other end user functions; PA1 Real time collaboration: end user interactions that are not delayed etc. Example--telephone call between two human beings; PA1 Tools for collaboration: Example--telephones, Lotus Notes, Shared white-boards; PA1 Cooperative services: services that have agreements, hardware and or software intended to allow interworking; PA1 Adaptive service: services that have hardware and or software intended to allow interworking; PA1 User interface: Example--telephone keypad, computer keyboard & screen; PA1 Internet access service: Example--Advantis, SNET, Bell Canada; PA1 Chat service: real-time typing between two or more people; as on AOL or an Internet server; PA1 Primary entity: the main entity being considered; PA1 Remote connection: a connection made to a network entity other than the primary entity; PA1 Remote entity: an entity other than the primary entity; PA1 Remote interface: an interface between the primary entity (or entity being considered) and a remote entity; PA1 Remote user: a user connected through a remote entity; PA1 ID: used to identify a user or client requesting access to a service, also called IDENTIFIER; PA1 Personal computer or computer: includes any computer or media through which a user can communicate interactively with another user, usually including display means, input and output means and storage means.